Brake lever and ratchet construction



Oct. ll, 1938.

H. s. JANDus 2,132,954

BRAKE LEVER AND RATCHET CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 25, 1936 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. ll, 1938. H. s. JANDus BRAKE LEVER AD RATCHET CONSTRUCTIO Filed Dec. 25, 1936 2 4Sheets-Sheet HERERT S. JANDUS Patented oet. 11, 193s PATE g l Vz,132,e54

NTv OFFICE BRAKE LEVER AND RA'roHEr.

CONSTRUCTION Herbert S. Jandus, Detroit, Mieli.; as sig'nor,v mesneassignmentsto Houdaille-Hershey Cor Y poration, DetroitLMich., a corporation` otMichigan " Application nec'embeirfzs, 193s, se'riaiNo 117,251 f given' differential swinging `movement with respect to the lever as the lever is swung in use.

It is a well recognized fact, in the useof ratchet type brake' levers in automotive vehicles, that often times, in order to' move the brake levers to such points as to set the brakes. to keep the vein such relative manners thatthe amplitude ofY hicles from moving, considerable ,physical effort is necessary. Sometimes, Women iindr it impossible to properly setthe so-called emergency brake levers to prevent the vehicle from moving isapracticeto be condemned. 5

Furthermore, the ratchet type brake;*leversiriV use at the present -time,in order togbe applied to effectively prevent the vehicles from moving, es.- :20 pecially when parked on'a grade, require'consid-Y erable physical eiort to releasetheleversbecause of the pressure between the leverv pawlsand teeth of the ratchets.

.The brake'lever construction of thepresent invention o bviates and overcomes the above noted objections and' enables satisfactory'.applicationV and release of brakes without excessive physical eilrort on the part of the vehicle operators.

An'object VAof the present invention is topro- 0 vide 'an automotive brake lever-constructionY achieved. Y

Another object of the present` invention is to provide an automotive brakelever construction wherein the ratchet quadrant `is. carriedflbythe lever and is rocked in angular' direction with the swing of the brake lever Vto 'thereby achieve such differential action between the quadrant and lever 'thatthe amount the lever must be'moved .to advance its pawl from tooth Y'to tooth of` the ratchet visdiierent from the pitch of the ratchet teeth. l, W f A further object of the presentinventionisto provide abrake -lever construction Vwherein the ratchetrquadrant and lever arerrocked or swung wherein a finely graduated ratchet adjustmentis movement of the quadrant is greater than the amplitude of movement of the lever forany given lever movement.

be swung to a positionto applygthe vehicle; brake to set position without requiring extreme phys? thus necessitating leaving the car in geargwhich Y line'lVa-IV of-Fig.,1.' Another and still furtherrobject ofthe present invention isto provide brakejlever construction for automotive vehicles whereby the levenmay 5 crains. k(ci.` '124;5365

ical eiortron the part of the vehicle operator to effect such braking action.

A still "further objectief the present invention is to provide-abrake leverconstruction of the pawlA and ratchet type, wherein the ratchet V and pawl are rockably carried by the -lever and wherey inthe ratchet is rocked in angular direction Yas the lever is swung in use, and wherein therate Aof rock jof the ratchet-is greater than the rate offswing ofgthe lever, so as tomove the ratchet past the pawl iat agreater rate of movement than the rate ofv movement of the pawl withthe lever, to therebyV reducethe distance the pawl must be movedfromtoothftol tooth of the ratchetto a distance less 4than the circumferential .distance between thel crests yof any two `adjacent teeth of the ratchetfor anyfgivenmovement of the lever.

YThe invention Vhasffor Yanother object the, pro

rvision of a brake :leverj construction'` whereby pressurebetweenthe pawl and an engaged ratch-V et toothv is-decreased below that present in exist-Y ing types of ratchetgtype brake levers, so that disengagement of the lever from its latched position with the brakes set'ismore easily effected.

f The invention has for a still further object the provision 0f gebreke-18W! QOHSHICQOH Whefeby a smaller ratchet quadrant may be employed thus reducingQthe manufacturing costV of the V,brake lever Y The above, g other: and.v further objects of. the

invention,--v vilvlzlbe apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings'. @The accompanying? drawings illustrate brake Alever construction employing and embodying the' Fig. 3ds anelevationalfand sectional view ofk the lever'of Fig. 1 sh'owing the lever swung in brake? applying direction.`Y Y v e e Fig. (iis an. enlarged transverse sectional view vtaken substantially in the plane indicated by c Figure 5 is:v an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially in the planeindicated by line V--V- of Fig. 1. Fig. Gisjan enlarged fragmental view partially in Aelevationand,partially in section showing a lever of the present invention as it is swung toward brake setting position, and showing the relationship of the parts.

Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig. 6 with the lever swung one tooth farther lin brake applying position.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing relative movement of certain of the parts of a brake lever of the form shown in Figs. 1-7 inclusive.

The drawings will now be explained:

The illustrated form of brake lever includes a lever member A herein illustrated as comprising side members I and 2 which are secured together in laterally spaced relation with the lower end, as illustrated in the drawings, connected by a rivet 3 on which is a spacer 4 between the faces of the members I and 2. The other end of lever is pivoted, by means of a bolt 5; to a'iixetl plate-or support B which may be attached in any suitable manner to a bracket secured te the dashboard of an automotive vehicle, behind the instrument Y board, if the lever is tc be installed as one of the Suitablewashers 6 'may the inner faces of the members I and 2 of the dash type, or attached to or adjacent the transmission casing if the lever is to be installed as one of the regular type.

lever,v and the plate B. l

A ratchet quadrant or oatingvsector C is pivoted by means of a bolt 'i or likeattaching means to the lever e. slight distance-.from the pivot 5l of the lever. The quadrant C is herein illustrated as having an arcuate surface 8 in which are formed a pluralityof teethD, yconstituting the ratchet. Y

" For rocking the ratchet quadrant C with respect tothe lever A, links 9 and IU are connected to the plate or support B and the quadrant C respectively.v The Ylinks 9 and II), at similar ends, are'pivoted to the plate kB by pins II and I2 respectively, while at theirother ends they are pivoted to the ratchet quadrant C by pins I3 and Referring to thewdravmgss it willbe apparent that the axes o f the pivots I I 'and"l2, of the links Vare not in horizontal alignment with the axis of the lever pivot 5. Furthermoreithe-axes of the pivots I3 and I4 are out of horizontal alignment with the axis of the pivot I of the ratchet quadrant C. By proportioning the r ratioV of'distances between the lever pivot and the link pivotsto the ratchet quadrant pivot kand the link pivots, it is y possible vto control the angular lmovement 'of the ratchet quadrant, withVV respect to the angular movement of thelever.

A pawl E is pivoted to the lever A by means of a bolt I5. The pawl, in the present instance, is formed with spaced lugs i6, and I1 forming a gap in which isreeeived the'end I8 of an actuating memberjIB. The pawl hase-pointed end 2U adapted engage any` of the teeth of tliel ratchet D for latching the lever A in desired position. A spring 2Iv is arranged to actagainst the actuating member lq'in suchmanner as to normally maintain the pawl `E in latching'engagement with the ratchet D of the quadrant C.A With the actuating member I9 in normal position, a portion thereof, as at 22 projects eutwardly of the handle portion of the lever A so as to be pressed by the palm of the hand of the operator of vthe vehicle to unlatch the pawl, when it is desired to shift the lever. Y v A 'if .A clevis F is shown as connected to the pivot pin i5 of the pawl. It is to-be understood; of course,

that the clevis might be fastened to some other be interposed between part of the lever if so desired. To the clevis F is secured a cable or rod 23 which is connected to the brake actuating mechanism of the automotive vehicle.

The actuating member I9 is pivoted to the lever A, by the pivot 2t, in such manner that but slight rocking movements of the actuating member l5 will be necessary to roc-.k the pawl E sufiiciently to disengage it from the ratchet of the sector C.

The operation of the brake lever construction of the present invention is as follows:

Fig. l shows the part in normal or inoperative position, which is that occupied by the lever when the brakes are in released or in off position.

To move the lever in a direction to apply the brakes, as viewed in the drawings, the operator grasps the rear portion of the lever A, near its Y free end, which is the left-hand portion as viewed in the drawings, and moves itin counterclockwise direction about its pivot 5.

' During such movement, the point2 ofthe pawl E rides over the teeth offthe ratchetquadrant D in the usual manner. During. such movement, because of the pivotal connection off-the. links 9 and I0 to the ratchet quadrant C, the quadrant will be swung in clockwise direction as maybe A. This'diierential movement between the quadrant C and the levervA, that is, the lever k.swinging in one direction and the quadrant inthe opposite direction, creates "a condition 'wherein the amplitude of swing of the lever from' crest to crest of adjacent teeth of the ratchet is less than'the horizontal projection of the'pitch of theratchet teeth. Thismeans that to move the lever.A from one tooth to the next the amplitude of movement of the lever may beslightly less than 'the pitch of the teethl Thisifeature becomes-important as the lever nears its end of swing inbrake applying direction, where resistance to`swingi is offered by applicationof thebrakes butV which application is insufficient to hold the brakes orprevent movement of the vehicle. It becomes necessary then to vswing the lever into engagement with the next notch or tooth, which, because of the differential movement present-in the lever construction of thisinvention may be effected a slight movement 'of the lever, which is less than the movement nowrequired by levers of the ratchet type in use at the present time.VVV f Fig.v '7 of the drawings is inten-ded toshow the relationshipy of the parts when the .brake lever has been swung toits eXtreme of movement brake applying Vposition withthe brakes 'locked or set to prevent rolling of the vehicle, should it be parked on an incline. The relationship of the parts shown in Fig. 6 illustrates the parts with the pawl engaging the tooth just ahead of the quadrant wouldeasily carry the necessary loadA tion occupied in to the position occupied in Fig. 7 is represented by thearc Y, taken on the pitch circle of the ratchet quadrant C. The sum vof the arc Y and the horizontal projection X is equal to the pitch of the teeth plus a slight clearance suicient so that the point 20 of the'pawl Vwillsnap over the "crest ofone tooth to engage the next tooth.; Y. Referring to Fig. 6, the anglef'designatedby the reference character |700' represents'thezfamplitude of movement of the lever`A from its initial position as in Fig. '1, to the positionillustratedfin Fig. 6. The angle represented by the reference character 200 representsvthe swing or rock of the ratchet quadrant C inv counter angular direc-r tion from the position occupiedas in Fig. 1 tothe position occupied in Fig. 6.v Asthe parts are illustrated in the accompanying drawings; the

amplitude or rock or swing of the sector quadrant C'is slightly more than twice theamplitudev of movement of the lever A, from the position vof the lever andquadrant shown inFig.'1"to the position shown in Fig. 6. n i

Referring to Fig.'8, which isV a diagrammatic gure illustrating movements of certainv parts of y,

the brake lever construction ofthe present invention,'C represents the pivotal axis of swingofthe lever A. The lines CO to CW inclusive, represent various positions occupied by the center line of the lever A as it is swung from the' position of Fig. 1 to the position of Fig. 7.

The line J represents the arc traveled by the.l axis of the pivot 1 of the sector quadrantk C astherlever is swung from the position of Fig. l

' to the Yposition of Fig. 7. The line designated by,

the reference character M represents thetravel of the center line of the pivot I3 connecting the links 9 to the sector quadrant Cas the leverV is, swung'as heretofore stated'. ThelineGG' represents the normal position Vof the Aratchet quadquadrant C and the lever A as Vthe lever is swung from the position of Fig. l to the position of Fig. 7.

When the lever is swungwfrom 'the position of.'Y Fig. 7 to the'position Vof Fig. l, the movement will be in the opposite direction, the sector quadrant C returning to assume its normal horizontal position of Fig. 1 and the lever to assume its normal or vertical position of Fig. 1. n By means of the present invention, a finely graduated ratchet adjustment is attained. ThisV adjustment is attained without regard to the sizes of the teeth of the ratchet. It is possible to construct the sector Yquadrant of stamped met'- al, of material with a `minimum thickness Vof approximately one-eighth of` an inch. Such a on any one of its teeth without fear of breakage.

Furthermore, the quadrant maybe made smaller than quadrants of the present type thus reducingY cost of manufacture of the quadrant as the smaller quadrant provides a minimum amountV of metal to be heat treated. Y f It has been ound'by experimentation that the tooth pressure in a brake leverof the present inform,in use-on has been found to be Y Vobvious that because of thereduction in` tooth isreduced, the thickness of the :maybe reduced 'so that it may easilybe made the lever is in the position Vof `vention is less thanit is in a ratchet type brake lever of conventional form.

The ratchet' type brake lever of conventional the "Ford motor carv with a one hundred pound pull on the brake rod develops a ltooth pressurevof approximately 108 pounds. Using Varlever of the present invention ofthe form illustrated in Figs. 1-7 inclusive, with a pull on the brakerod'of 100'pounds, the tooth pressure 73.3 pounds. It is therefore pressure achieved by a brake lever of the present invention it vwill be easier to disengage the pawl from itsratchet to release the brake, than it is .with the ratchet type levers of conventional form in use at the present time. I

By reason of the fact that the rtooth pressure ratchet quadrant from a stamping.

. Y rIt .has been found by experimentation'that a fpull Lon a vbrake rod of a thousand pounds produces yaY tooth pressure vof 733 pounds.

A tooth made from a sector quadrant of one-eighthlinch in thickness .could easily carry this load on a single tooth. Y

' "It will thus be obvious that. the present inven- 'tion provides abrake lever construction wherein the incrementalmovement of the pawl on the lever in applying the brakes is different from the pitch of the teeth of the ratchet so that to attain the nal movement of the lever to a position to hold a vehicleV from rolling when parked on an .Y incline, may represent the difference between two adjacent teeth ofthe ratchet.

With the differential movement of the ratchet quadrant and lever ofthe present invention, this iinal lever movement may beaccomplished by an angular swing of the lever which is less than the distance between the crests of any two adjacent teeth.

It is to be understood that the illustrated lever is constructed otherwise than it would be in commercial production. 'Ihe lever, as well as the Vactuating member, and other` parts, might be made of stampings with the handle portion of the lever suitably rounded to afford a convenient and comfortable grip for the hand of the operator.

VThe links,4 as well as the intermeshing teeth of the plate and ratchet constitute means, or connections, for driving or moving the ratchet, with 4respect to the lever, as the lever is swung about its pivotal connection to said plate.4 Any other Vmeans suitable forl the `same purpose could as `readily be used if so desired. f

Theinvention has been described herein more or less precisely as to-details, yet it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited there- `by as changes may be made in the arrangement and proportion of parts, and equivalents may be substituted, without and scope of the invention.

. rlheinvention is claimed as follows:

departing from the spirit 1. Brake vlever construction including a support, a lever pivoted to said support to swing, a

y sector'pivotedrto said leverand having ratchet teeth along'a margin thereof, a pawl pivoted to said lever yforengagement with said ratchet teeth to hold said lever in adjusted position, and connecting means between said support and said seci tor to rock said sector about its pivot in angular direction opposite to the direction of angular movement of the lever, said connecting means vbe- .ing such that when said lever is moved in brake applying direction the sector is moved with acceli irl) erated motion to reduce the amount of incremental movement of the lever necessaryvto the passage of the pawl from tooth tof tooth of the ratchet to less than the pitch of the ratchet teeth.

2. Brake lever: construction including a xed support, a lever pivoted to said support vto swing, va ratchet sector pivoted to said -leverand having ratchet teeth along a margin thereof, a pawl -pivoted to said lever for engaging said ratchet teeth, linkage between said support andY said sector for rocking said sectorv about its pivot in angular directionv opposite to the direction of angular movement of said lever as said lever is swung to Vary ther inclination of the sectorto decrease the incrementalv movement Vof the lever to a point where such lever movement per tooth is different from the pitch of the ratchet teeth. s

3. Brake lever construction including a lever pivoted to a Xed support to swing, a ratchet pivoted to said lever, a pawl pivoted to said lever to engage said'ratchet, links connecting saidsupport and ratchet, said links at similar ends being pivoted to said plate on opposite sidesof the lever pivot in otherthan horizontal alignment and at Athe other ends pivotedtothe ratchet on opposite sides of the ratchet pivot in other than hori- Zontal alignment with the ratchet pivot to cause said ratchet to swing about its pivot in angular direction counter to the direction of angular swing of the lever, said links causing the rate of angular movement ofsaid ratchet to be different Yfrom the rate of angular movement of said lever.

4. Brake leverconstruction including a iiXed support, a lever pivoted to said support, vto swing, a ratchet quadrant pivoted to said lever, a pawl pivoted to said lever for engaging they ratchet,-

link connection between said support and quadrant to rock said quadrant about its pivot in angu- 'lar direction opposite to the direction oi angular movementof theA lever and at a different speed, s

thearrangementbeing such that the amplitude Of rock of the ratchetquadrant is greater than the amplitude of swing of the lever for any given movement of the lever. Y

5. Brake lever construction including a lever pivoted to a fixed support to swing, a ratchet member pivoted-to said lever, a pawlpivoted to said lever to engage said ratchet, a connection between said support andY said ratchet and pivoted to the latter, said connection causingdiierential angular movement of said ratchet and lever such that the angular movement of said 'ratchet in relation to said pawl is greater than the angular movement of said lever in relation to said fixed support.

. HERBERT S. JANDUS. 

